


It Begins in a Classroom

by shocked_into_shame



Series: Marrissey Tumblr Prompts [4]
Category: The Smiths
Genre: Bullying, High School AU, Homophobia, M/M, Pre-Slash, Teacher/Student, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, almost, gay if you squint, in which moz is a sexy english teacher, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 00:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3402560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shocked_into_shame/pseuds/shocked_into_shame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Originally posted on Tumblr]<br/>Prompt: One character is being bullied, and the story begins in a classroom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Begins in a Classroom

**Author's Note:**

> Typically I’d write Moz as the person being bullied, and Johnny as his rescuer. I’d like to change things up a bit. Not sure how this is going to jive but… I’m feeling rather adventurous at the moment.

Morrissey sits in silence at his desk, tapping his fingertips on the lacquer surface of it as he waits for his class to settle down. He thinks about the events that got him here, in this teaching position. His mother demanded that he get a real job  _ other _  than freelance writing, so here he is, at the ripe age of 25, teaching a sixth-form English class. The irony of this makes him laugh. Of course, he doesn’t truly care about this job; most days he assigns independent reading and a question or two for homework. He’d like to minimize the amount of bad answers he has to read.

But today, today he is supposed to be teaching Wilde. He had a real lesson planned out, and he was going to let his students pick parts and act out  _ The Importance of Being Earnest. _  He wants them to really enjoy the play, really experience the beauty and humor in Wilde’s writing.

Now, as the 20 student class reaches decibel levels previously unheard of, Morrissey ( _ Mr. _  Morrissey), begins to think that he is going to assign the entire play for tonight. But he doesn’t really have to bother with this class; he doesn’t care if they don’t enjoy themselves. He isn’t enjoying himself either.

“Hey, guitar boy,” one particularly awful student, Bruce (what a name, too), says loudly, getting up and walking over to Morrissey’s favorite student- Johnny. Johnny is truly passionate about what he does, something that’s entirely refreshing to Moz. “What are you up to, guitar boy? Don’t wanna talk to the rest of the class? Too busy fantasizing about your amp?”

Johnny, a black-haired, skinny boy, rolls his eyes at Bruce and looks back down at the paper in front of him. It’s no secret to anyone that Johnny loves playing guitar, and all he really cares about is music. No one bothers him about it, really, save for this one jerk. Everyone else thinks that Johnny is cool, sort of floating above it all. Bruce seems determined to bring him back down to earth.

Morrissey watches Bruce bother Johnny in interest, wondering when Johnny will stand up for himself. Lord knows, when he was that age, he wouldn’t have said anything either. Even now, he doesn’t see the need to intervene; Bruce isn’t saying anything that Johnny can’t handle.

“Not going to say anything… fag?” Bruce sneers. Well. That’s it.

“Enough!” Morrissey bellows, the first time he’s ever yelled at a class. The first time he’s ever yelled, really. The class stops suddenly, and he hears Rebecca gasp in the back row. Silently, arms crossed, he saunters to Bruce. “Leave.”

“What?” the jock responds. Johnny’s brown eyes are wide.

“Just go, my boy. Really, we don’t need you. You can leave, and you don’t even have to come back. In fact, I don’t want you to come back.  _Go._ ”

“No, Mr. Morrissey, you don’t understand,” Bruce responds frantically. “I was just joking, right, Johnny? We’re friends. This is all a joke.” Johnny doesn’t look impressed. Morrissey’s arms are still crossed. No one needs to know that his heart is racing in his chest; he’s entirely too shy to be standing up to this teenager like this.

Bruce leaves in anger and Morrissey sits back down at his desk. So much for acting out Wilde. He tells the class to read it on their own, and if he so much as hears a pin drop he’ll kick out someone else. In reality, he needs to give himself a little bit of time to recover from that; his heart is still pounding. It’s worth it, though, when Johnny sends him a grateful, crooked smile. Heart leaping in his chest, Morrissey is forced, yet again, to remind himself that Johnny is his student.

 


End file.
